The present invention relates generally to aircraft tug assemblies, and more particularly to an improved universal aircraft nosewheel cradle and an improved tug assembly for moving an aircraft on the ground.
Various devices have been used to move airplanes on the ground without starting the aircraft engine. One known system uses a towing vehicle having a tow bar which attaches to the axle of the aircraft nosewheel. This tow bar system may disadvantageously require a separate tow bar or tow bar adapter for each different type of nosewheel axle assembly. Furthermore, a new tow bar or adapter is required for each new aircraft design. Matching the correct tow bar or adapter to the correct aircraft is often a time consuming process, and valuable airport storage space is required to store all the various towbars.
Additionally, the tow bar system requires ample room within which to maneuver the aircraft. This is due to the overall length of the towing vehicle and tow bar, and due to the awkward operation of the tow bar system, particularly when backing the aircraft into place. These drawbacks of the tow bar system are particularly disadvantageous for an airport handling a variety of aircraft. For example, an airport sponsoring an airshow must move a variety of aircraft, including many prototype aircraft, all of which must be positioned by the towing vehicle relatively close together for public display.
Another known aircraft tug assembly includes a self-propelled chassis having a nosewheel scoop mounted to the front of the chassis by a 3-point hitch. A manually operated winch is mounted to the chassis to pull the aircraft nosewheel onto the nosewheel scoop. This nosewheel scoop requires a variety of different adapters to receive the various nosewheel configurations. For example, some aircraft have a single nosewheel, while others have a dual nosewheel, that is two tires mounted side by side. Additionally, some nosewheels include wheel skirts or pants surrounding the upper portion of the wheel to enhance the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft. While this nosewheel scoop tug assembly has improved maneuverability over the tow bar design above, it still suffers the drawbacks of requiring a multitude of different adapters to accommodate the various nosewheel designs.
Thus a need exists for an improved universal aircraft nosewheel cradle and tug assembly, which is directed toward overcoming and not susceptible to, the above limitations and disadvantages.